I’m kind of a stickler when it comes to rules—rules set by other people, that is. Unfortunately (or perhaps naturally?), over the course of my graduate school career I’ve gotten a bit lax about some of my self-imposed rules (e.g. making the bed every morning, hanging up my clothes every night, washing all the dirty dishes before going to bed, etc.). But you know which Mara-made rule I always abide ...

You know that saying that most things worth doing are difficult? Well, that does not apply in the case of these pumpkin spice tiramisu parfaits—they’re super quick, no-bake, and no-cook. In a word, they're no-fuss!
Life has been incredibly busy lately—but then again, I feel like fall is the season of busy, wouldn’t you agree? ...

The lead-up to Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of year. As a kid, I would spend hours sketching various possible designs for my Jack-o’-lantern, my mom would help brainstorm and create my costume, and my friends and I would swap tips on the best trick-or-treating routes. As I’ve gotten older, my love for Halloween remains, but mostly in a nostalgic sort of way, since my actual ...

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It’s not too early to start counting down the days until the holidays, right? Although fall is by far my favorite season in Michigan and I’m not at all in a hurry to see it turn into winter (my least favorite season in Michigan), I’m already looking ...

For weeks, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the official start of fall, since after that point, no one can really argue that it’s too early for pumpkins, doughnuts, scarves, and sweaters. No one, that is, except Mother Nature. The temperatures in Michigan have been hovering around 90 for several days and the only thing even approaching autumnal is my kitchen table, which is covered in decorative ...

Polenta was one of the first things I learned to make when I took an active interest in cooking, and it was basically everything I could have asked for as a college student: easy, cheesy, inexpensive, and versatile. To this day, it’s still one of my go-to recipes when I want something quick and comforting. ...

Earlier this summer, I came up with a recipe to imitate Trader Joe’s cowboy caviar, and I’ve made it three additional times since then. The only downside to making it at home is that it doesn’t keep as long as the store-bought version—and I suppose that’s the natural tradeoff when there are fewer preservatives involved. Since the recipe makes quite a bit, I’ve been finding new uses ...

This summer, I’ve been relying heavily on a few things to keep me from turning into a total stress case: late night leisure reading, snuggles with my favorite fuzz nugget, and regular doses of chocolate and peanut butter. The first two, however, are somewhat less reliable. ...

You know what’s crazy? This week marks the four year anniversary of when I started writing this blog. You know what’s even crazier?! I actually got my act together this year and made something celebratory to share with you for the occasion, unlike in past years, when I tried to pass off things like salad or breakfast tacos as blogiversary-worthy treats. ...

This summer has been remarkably busy so far—how is it already mid-July?!—but I’ve been doing my best to make the most of it, especially since it’s the last one I’ll be spending in Michigan (fingers crossed for completing my dissertation this next year!). ...